Chromosome-scale genome assembly and annotation of the white star apple (Gambeya albida)

Abstract

White star apple (Gambeya albida) is native to the lowland rainforests of Central, East, and West Africa. This species is highly valued for its nutritious fruits and offers medicinal, socio-cultural, and economic benefits. In West Africa, it contributes to food security for rural and urban communities alike. However, no genomic resources are available to untap the agronomic and medicinal traits of the white star apple. Here, we present its first chromosome-scale genome, generated using PacBio HiFi and Omni-C sequencing. The star apple genome is highly homozygous (0.317 %), and we assembled 98.9% of the estimated haploid genome size (822 Mb) into 13 pseudochromosomes. It has a base-level accuracy (QV) of 58.14, an N50 of 57 Mbp, and 97.5% BUSCO completeness, representing a reference-quality assembly. About 58.5% of the genome constitutes repetitive sequences, and homology-based prediction identified 75,057 gene models. This reference-quality genome of the white star apple will serve as a valuable resource to enhance our understanding of its underlying nutritional and pharmacological traits and facilitate improvement research.